How Django Caught Fire!

Subject: How Django Caught Fire!
From: Peter T.
Date: 11 Aug 01 - 03:33 PM

Found this article (abridged here) by Doug Caldwell, "Fire in His Fingers". Thought it might be of interest to some: first detailed discussion I have ever found (for those with an interest in the macabre):

"December 2, 1928, an 18 year old Django Reinhardt had just finished at a club called La Java. It was 1:00 a.m. He trudged back to his caravan home where his wife, a few months pregnant, was sleeping. The wooden wagon on this night was full of colourful cellophane flowers that his wife was to sell at a cemetery next day. While getting undressed, Django thought he heard a mouse rustling around in the flowers, and as he grabbed a dying candle to have a look, the wick separated from the wax, and fell into the mass of explosive cellophane. Within a millisecond, the caravan was an inferno. Django just managed to grab a blanket with his left hand to shield himself, exposing the hand to the flames. He fell down, almost unconscious; his wife scrambling out of the burning caravan, her hair almost completely scorched. After long moments, he staggered to his feet, and stumbled out of the caravan. His left leg was burned so badly that it was urged that it be amputated, but after two operations, it was saved. He spent a year and a half in hospital. Even into the 1940's he was healing from sores, bathing and pouring sulfur into his wounds.

His ring and little fingers were all but useless, muscles and tendons destroyed. They remained curled up, leaving him only the index, middle, and thumb to chord with. To compensate, he developed a technique of crossing the first finger over the second and vice versa. We do know from musicians' accounts that he was able to pull the two dead fingers onto the high B and E strings for chordal work, and was able to bend the third finger enough to flatten it across the three bottom strings."

Subject: RE: How Django Caught Fire!
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 11 Aug 01 - 05:35 PM

Thanks Peter.

It's fascinating to hear how he played BEFORE the accident (he'd recorded several things). A virtuoso before AND after. What some might NOT know is that his primary instrument before the fire was the SIX STRING BANJO!

Take that, all you "banjo joke" tellers!

Rick

Subject: RE: How Django Caught Fire!
From: catspaw49
Date: 11 Aug 01 - 05:47 PM

Also quite a violinist Rick. I saw the most of that story on one of the internet bio sites awhile back when we were discussing "which fingers." Good post Peter.

Spaw

Subject: RE: How Django Caught Fire!
From: Lee Shore
Date: 11 Aug 01 - 05:55 PM

For all fellow Django worshippers. Check out the movie,"Low Down & Blue," which both is and isn't about Django, and which elevated Sean Penn to the realm of actor.

Subject: RE: How Django Caught Fire!
From: Dave Swan
Date: 11 Aug 01 - 07:30 PM

Lee,

I think you're talking about Sweet and Lowdown. The Internet Movie Database has this to sayabout the film. It's a worthwhile rent. I really like the character of Emmett's girlfriend.

Subject: RE: How Django Caught Fire!
From: Dave Swan
Date: 11 Aug 01 - 07:32 PM

Rats. Blew the blue clicky. Here goes again. click

Subject: RE: How Django Caught Fire!
From: Dave Swan
Date: 11 Aug 01 - 07:33 PM

I give up. Go to www.imbd.com. It's interesting. Really.....

.....crickets.....

Subject: RE: How Django Caught Fire!
From: Justa Picker
Date: 11 Aug 01 - 07:42 PM

Dave's clicky.

Subject: RE: How Django Caught Fire!
From: Justa Picker
Date: 11 Aug 01 - 07:44 PM

(Sorry Dave. The link doesn't work.)

Subject: RE: How Django Caught Fire!
From: Dave Swan
Date: 11 Aug 01 - 08:02 PM

Thanks. You got a lot closer than I did.

Subject: RE: How Django Caught Fire!
From: JenEllen
Date: 11 Aug 01 - 08:58 PM

IMBD LINK to S&L This one??

Subject: RE: How Django Caught Fire!
From: Whistle Stop
Date: 13 Aug 01 - 07:37 AM

Thanks, Peter -- Learned more about this incident than I knew before.

I thought "Sweet and Lowdown" was so-so, and not one of the better movies to star Sean Penn (who I think is a fine actor when playing within a limited range of disturbed characters).